Gate to the Summit 登拝門

Official explanation

This gate is the entrance to the path leading to the inner shrine at the summit of Mt. Nantai. Although the entire mountain is part of Chugushi Shrine, the gate marks a further degree of separation of the sacred from the profane. Similar gates can be found at the entrances to temples and shrines, but in this case the shrine is already a sacred area. The gate therefore marks the beginning of yet another, more sacred space. The ascetic mountain religion of Shugendo has been practiced here for centuries. In Shugendo, climbing a mountain is spiritual exercise as much as it is physical. In passing through the gate, one’s spirit and mind should enter into another realm.

The path to the summit is open from May 15 to October 15, and climbers usually begin the 6-kilometer ascent to the summit during the morning. Given that the round trip may take from six to seven hours, setting out after noon is not permitted.

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An annual weeklong festival begins on July 31, when the main deity is moved from the inner sanctuary (honden) to the summit. Every night during the festival, a group gathers at about 11:00 p.m. and sets out on the path up the mountain around midnight, arriving at the summit just in time for sunrise.

出典: 地域観光資源の多言語解説文データベース（観光庁） — www.mlit.go.jp/tagengo-db. この英語解説文は観光庁の地域観光資源の多言語解説整備支援事業で作成しました。
Source: Japan Tourism Agency, Multilingual Explanation Database. This English text was produced by the Japan Tourism Agency's multilingual explanation project and is shown unedited. Opening hours and services may have changed since it was written.